I have always thought of roses as blooming in June in particular, but plants are responding to global warming and moving through their cycle earlier, so I have been enjoying my roses in May as well as June this year.
A few years ago, I treated myself to my first, but not last, David Austin rose, after being inspired to do so by one of the programmes from the Chelsea flower show. Before making my choice, I looked online, but also visited my local garden centre, where I met a very helpful staff member who talked through various possibilities. She concluded ” If I were buying my first David Austin rose, I would opt for the Gertrude Jekyll rose. It’s a beautiful strong pink colour but also has a lovely scent”. I took her advice and am glad I did. My Gertrude Jekyll rose produces more blooms each year, and it smells lovely. I try to spend time enjoying it each day, treasuring the precious fragrance.
Gertrude Jekyll was a very well-known garden designer, photographer, crafts woman and writer who lived from 1843 to 1932. She created over 400 gardens in the UK and was known for her emphasis on the use of bold colour. She popularized the informal English cottage garden. A worthy lady to have a rose named after her.
Our sense of smell is an important motivator to us, leading people to spend a lot of money on perfumes, cosmetics and garden plants and flowers with a strong scent. Conversely bad smells can turn us away from people or locations where we know the smell will be unpleasant. Sometimes this sadly leads to people becoming lonely and rejected when they have lost the ability to keep themselves clean.
Graham Kendrick has written a beautiful song about the ” fragrance of Jesus”. It challenges us to be filled with the fragrance of Jesus as we worship him, so that his glory fills the church and his beauty fills our thoughts, our words and our deeds. This song is my concluding prayer for today.
” May the fragrance of Jesus fill this place.
Lovely fragrance of Jesus.
Rising from the sacrifice
Of lives laid down in adoration.
May the glory of Jesus fill his church.
Radiant glory of Jesus.
Shining from our faces
As we gaze in adoration
May the beauty of Jesus fill my life.
Perfect beauty of Jesus.
Fill my thoughts, my words, my deeds.
My all I give in adoration “.